


The Beginning

by ammNI



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Alcohol, Bickering, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Friends, Episode 9 spoilers, Flirting, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, MatchaBlossom, Pre-Relationship, Skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:20:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29967669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ammNI/pseuds/ammNI
Summary: My take on how Joe felt watching what happened at the end of Adam and Cherry’s beef in Episode 9. Along with the aftermath for both Kojiro and Kaoru. Rating for some bad language. Title from ONE OK ROCK song.
Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe & Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom & Shindo Ainosuke | Adam, Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Comments: 8
Kudos: 109





	The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I’ll keep this author’s note short.  
> The title is a song by a J-Rock band called ONE OK ROCK. I used some of the lyrics from this song for inspiration with parts of this oneshot. You can listen to it on YouTube here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh9yZWeTmVM](url)
> 
> I’m from the UK so spellings etc. are all British English. Just warning in advance.
> 
> One of my best friends made me cover art for this oneshot (even though she doesn't watch anime, nevermind SK8)!
> 
> Hope you like my fic!  
> ~Annie  
> xx

Kojiro can do nothing but watch the massive projection at the top of the mine. He feels helpless. No amount of shouting or running will change what is about to happen. Dread pools in his stomach the moment Adam flips his board and turns, racing back to Cherry. His entire body tenses the moment he sees Adam grip the end of his deck in both hands. Standing stock still with hands fisted at his sides, Kojiro’s mouth scrunches up in disgust and anger. _Bastard_ , is all he can think before Adam swings at Cherry.

The sound of the impact is clearly relayed through the speakers. In his peripheral, Kojiro sees Shadow and Miya flinch and turn away from the video as Cherry’s body flies backwards through the air. But Kojiro knows he doesn’t have their luxury of looking away. He has to keep watching. Not only to burn the image into his brain, but also because he doesn’t think Adam is above hurting Cherry even more. His eyes narrow into a glare, the only motion he can do. Kojiro knows that if he makes any other movement then this night wouldn’t end until he gets hold of Adam and beats him bloody.

Anger boils in Kojiro’s blood at Adam’s words to Cherry, but it is the glimpse of Cherry lying broken and bloody on the ground that freezes everything in Kojiro. He can no longer see or hear what is going on around him. His mind replays the hit over and over again. Like a video playback he keeps seeing Cherry being thrown and his inertia causing him to fly so far back, then scraping and rolling over the tarmac. Bile fills his mouth as his stomach churns in fear and worry. Sure between the two of them there’d been countless injuries skateboarding throughout the years. But nothing like this.

“Joe!” screams Shadow getting right in his face.

Kojiro blinks and his hearing and sight come crashing back in. Glancing down he finds a worried Miya tugging hard on the sleeve of his unbuttoned jacket. The kid looks even smaller now; his green eyes seemingly even bigger than usual. A glance at the projection shows Adam skating in a lackadaisical manner to the finish line. Kojiro easily turns away from the show. Adam isn’t what matters right now.

“Let’s go,” he gruffly tells Shadow and Miya.

* * *

The silent waiting game is enough to drive anyone insane. Kojiro stares up at the ceiling, _finally_ having sat after Miya had chided him for trying to wear a trail into the floor. He has to keep his head up and staring at this ugly ceiling of the hospital. If his eyes glance down he knows all he’ll see are the blood stains on his clothes and the dried blood on his chest. He scrunches his eyes closed as his brain reminds him how Cherry had looked once they’d got to that part of the track.

Broken.

Bloody.

Beaten.

Kojiro knows that it had only been adrenaline that kept his body moving in that moment. That’s what gave him the power to be able to carefully lift his childhood friend’s inert body from the tarmac. His mind remembers nothing of the drive to the hospital. Only the feel of Cherry’s body and his stuttered pain-filled breathing had held Kojiro’s attention.

A gentle thump from his right side pulls Kojiro’s attention from his dark memories. He chances glancing down, ignoring the blood as best he can. His eyes soften as he notices its Miya who has drifted to sleep and is resting against his arm. It is well into the small hours of the night. The kid had to be exhausted. Mentally and physically. Kojiro knows he is, but there would be no sleep for him. Not until there’s news.

“Joe,” urges Shadow quietly.

Kojiro glances at the other man and is taken aback to see he has removed all his ‘S’ make-up. _When the hell did that happen?_ he momentarily ponders. But he quickly shakes away the unnecessary thought when he notices Shadow nodding towards the door Cherry had been wheeled through however many hours ago.

“Sakurayashiki party?” calls out the doctor who has just appeared.

Kojiro wants to leap up but he doesn’t want to wake Miya so suddenly. Especially if it is bad news to be relayed. As he gently settles Miya down to lie in his vacated seat, Kojiro tries to gauge the doctor’s expression. The woman looks stiff and tired. But there is no sign on her face if her arrival is a good or bad sign.

“How is he?”

“He’s out of surgery. We were able to clean out his facial lacerations completely. We were concerned he’d need stitches on his right cheek, but once we cleaned it up we found it wasn’t as deep as we thought. He’s showing signs of a concussion and we had to stitch closed his head wound after evacuating the small bleed there. From scans it seems to have been mostly superficial, but we’ll know better once he’s awake and talking. We’ll be keeping a close eye on that, but that’s just normal procedure with any traumatic head and neck injury,” the doctor explains in a careful yet reassuring tone. “His neck was only scraped and thankfully there doesn’t appear to be any breaks or other traumatic injuries, but the cuts on that part and his back are some of the deeper ones. He does have quite a bit of road rash on various parts of his body. Nothing deep enough to require stitches, but when he is finally released from the hospital they’ll need careful care to prevent infection or scarring.

“His right arm has one break and his left ankle is broken in two places. Both were quite clean breaks so we’re hopeful they’ll both heal well and quickly. Neither should require surgery. We’ve got a temporary cast on both. Once the swelling dissipates we’ll change them. Looking at Sakurayashiki-san’s x-rays it's quite likely the elbow fracture might only need splinting.

“All in all Sakurayashiki-san is quite lucky that most of his injuries are relatively minor, considering how you said this happened.”

Both Kojiro and Hiromi sigh in relief.

“Is he awake? Can I see him?” questions Kojiro.

“He’s still out from the general anaesthetic. I’d suggest coming back during visiting hours later.” 

“Thank you Sensei,” bows Hiromi respectfully.

Kojiro feels numb and can only lightly dip his head to the doctor. _Kaoru is okay._ That singular thought makes Kojiro’s legs wobble and almost go out from under him. Only his quick reflexes allow him to grab hold of the nearby wall to brace himself when pure relief floods his body; purging the worry and fear that had been his constant companions these last few hours.

“Let’s get both you and the kid home. Cherry’ll be awake soon and the two of you will be arguing like usual,” encourages Hiromi.

“Cheers Shadow,” murmurs Kojiro. He is incredibly grateful that the other skater was here with him. “Come by my restaurant sometime and I’ll give you a meal on the house.”

“I’ll never turn down an offer of free food!”

* * *

“I **said** I was fine, you boneheaded gorilla!” growls Kaoru down the phone at Kojiro. “Don’t you dare turn up during visiting hours, or I’ll have security escort you out.”

“What fine treatment to give the one that ended up with your blood all over him!” Kojiro retorts.

“Send me the dry cleaning bill,” bites back Kaoru. “There’s still no need to visit. The doctors and nurses are perfectly capable of tending to me. Seeing your face is more likely to make me need an extended hospital stay.”

Kojiro pauses before automatically arguing back. Kaoru had always been an ill-tempered brat when he was sick or hurt. At the same time he preferred solitude. He’d never liked people seeing him being ‘weak’ as he put it. And he absolutely hated being in hospital.

“Alright, alright. I won’t visit,” capitulates Kojiro. “And I’ll make sure the rest know to stay away too.”

“Don’t see why they’d want to visit. I’m perfectly fine,” grumps Kaoru.

“You’re really not, but you will be Kaoru,” Kojiro tells him softly.

Kaoru freezes at the sudden change in his childhood friend. For a few moments both are equally silent. The only sound between them is their breathing.

“Kojiro…” Kaoru trails off, not knowing what to say.

“I’ll make sure of it,” adds Kojiro; his tone steely and unrelenting, sending off warning bells in the pink-haired man’s head.

“Kojiro, promise me you aren’t going to go off and do something idiotic!” chides Kaoru.

“Well I am a skater. Being an idiot is in my blood,” laughs Kojiro before hanging up.

Kaoru growls and mutters a multitude of curses at the green-haired idiot under his breath. All the while he creates a new conversation on Line. Typing with his left hand feels awkward but it still doesn’t take Kaoru long to send a message to Hiromi. He briefly considers messaging Langa and Reki, but both are teenagers and struggling with their own issues right now. Neither needs the added stress of trying to stop an adult from beating another adult bloody. Hopefully the florist alone can waylay the muscle-brain from doing something that could get him arrested. But annoyance still fills the calligrapher. _It is definitely annoyance and not concern_ , he thinks to himself.

“Damn gorilla,” he mutters as he thumbs through his phone for Satō’s number. “Good morning Satō-san. Apologies for the early call but I have a new commission for you.”

* * *

Several days later, after his final customers have left, Kojiro sets out a glass and a bottle of wine in Kaoru’s place at the counter. A minute or two passes before Kojiro stops working on auto-pilot. It's now automatic for Kojiro to put out a glass for their standing ‘date’ each week. Sometimes Kaoru visited more than once a week, but they never failed to meet up every Thursday night. A tradition that goes back so far that Kojiro can’t even remember when it started. A tradition that was broken when Adam attacked Kaoru and landed him in the hospital. Kojiro reaches for the bottle and starts to gulp down its contents. _Maybe the memories will stop plaguing me if I get drunk enough_ , he thinks to himself.

Instead the memories swirl and distort inside his head. Kojiro feels the boiling anger he had felt at ‘S’. Paired with the alcohol he just gulped down; hitting Adam in the face with his fists until the bastard is unrecognisable starts to seem like a really good plan. But that too makes him remember Shadow’s visit, at Kaoru’s request.

_“Kojiro, promise me you aren’t going to go off and do something idiotic!”_ he remembers Kaoru saying on the phone. Just like that the anger starts to seep out of him. He finishes the wine just as there is a banging on the front door. Kojiro frowns, places the wine on the counter and goes to answer the continuous banging that would certainly soon disturb his neighbours. It shouldn’t be as much of the shock that it is when he sees Kaoru glaring up at him. Kojiro blames the amount of alcohol he just quickly consumed for why his first thought is that he’s having a lucid dream. But the continued glare, the fact Kaoru’s wrapped from head to toe in bandages, and that the man is sat in some black and purple monstrosity of a wheelchair tears away any idea of this being a mere dream.

Sighing in defeat he holds open the door for Kaoru to wheel through. _And when the hell did he make an AI wheelchair?!_ questions Kojiro before filing it away in the part of his brain reserved for when Kaoru does such things. He crosses in front of the man still clad in hospital garb when his wheelchair stays parked just in front of the door. Almost mindlessly Kojiro removes the chair in Kaoru’s normal space so as to fit his wheelchair before returning to behind the bar counter.

“Are you an idiot?” he asks the supposedly smart man once he’s situated behind his bar counter again. “Sneaking out of the hospital like that...”

“No problem,” interrupts Kaoru. “It’s only a scratch.”

Kojiro narrows his eyes at Kaoru, unable to tell if he meant that as a Monty Python reference or not. It's one of the few movies that the other doesn’t mind admitting to liking, even though Kojiro likes it too. Kaoru’s complete poker face makes it too much work to tell though, especially after a long day’s work and having just downed a full bottle of wine.

“You’re looking like a mummy!” he chastises, his arms folded as the wheelchair moves forward on its own accord.

_Wheelchair...AI chair...no way in hell am I calling it his Carla-chair!_ Kojiro grouses to himself.

Barely two minutes passes by before the two are bickering as usual. Kaoru internally feels relief that Kojiro is his usual self. Not that he’ll ever show that to Kojiro. But as _that topic_ crops up he knows right now it's too soon. He needs alcohol as a bit of liquid courage if they’re going to have a proper discussion about Adam and all that happened.

“It’s empty,” comments Kaoru, after trying to pour himself a glass with the wine bottle beside him.

“You bring the next one!” grouses Kojiro; leaning over the counter, annoyed by Kaoru’s lackadaisical mood.

Yet the green-haired man is still cajoled into going and fetching another bottle. When he returns he finds Kaoru passed out on the counter. His expression is soft and peaceful. Something Kojiro hasn’t seen for many years except when Kaoru skates. He sighs, knowing the other man should really still be in hospital but also knowing how bad his insomnia can be. He quickly decides it’s better for Kaoru to be left to sleep.

The chef quietly takes a seat beside him. Now that the memories of that night aren’t replaying in his head, Kojiro can see things a little more clearly. Anger doesn’t cloud his judgement on all that happened as much. Not when Kaoru is resting so peacefully next to him.

“Adam is currently skating by himself,” he murmurs introspectively as he pours them each a glass of Lafite. “He’s an amazing skater, but I’m sure he’s not happy right now. That’s why his skating ends up that way. But you know, **we’re** not alone,” Kojiro turns to gaze softly at the pink-haired man sound asleep beside him. “Right, Kaoru?”

The peaceful moment blankets the two. Kojiro savours the feeling of it as he sips at his white wine. It reminds him of previous nights the two have shared all around the world. Some nights definitely didn’t end as well as others, but that’s all part of the fun. Once finished his glass though he notices the time. He recorks the bottle and quietly finishes his last steps for closing the restaurant.

Kaoru remains sleeping undisturbed. But Kojiro knows he’ll be incredibly sore lying like that all night. So he carefully lifts and carries the pink-haired man upstairs to his apartment, mindful of his various wounds. A glance around makes Kojiro realise his belongings are strewn haphazardly around the apartment. For someone injured like Kaoru it is a safety hazard. Also knowing Kaoru his wheelchair probably has a higher boost of power than normal electric wheelchairs, making it able to run over any objects in its path. And the damn four eyes would probably get a sick thrill from driving his wheelchair over Kojiro’s stuff because said stuff “shouldn’t have been on the floor in the first place”. Kojiro lets out a soft chuckle that even while asleep Kaoru is telling him off for one thing or another.

After gently settling Kaoru into his western-style king-size bed and carefully removing his glasses, Kojiro does a quick clean. For him that mostly involves putting things into piles in the corners or on top of his sofa. Once finished to his own (low) standard Kojiro heads back downstairs to turn off the lights and cart up Kaoru’s wheelchair. His friend’s independency streak definitely wouldn’t allow for Kojiro to carry him around anywhere whilst he’s conscious.

Exhaustion hits him once he sets the AI wheelchair up to being charged (he does not need _that_ argument again). A glance at the now occupied sofa makes him suddenly realise he’ll have to share the bed with Kaoru. It's not like they haven’t done that before when they were kids. They’ve even shared as adults when they went to LA together and that time they ended up in Amsterdam. But he’s never shared **his** bed in this apartment with Kaoru.

He dry scrubs his face and tells himself to pull it together. _I’m a grown man. There’s no reason I should be feeling damn butterflies at sharing my bed with a friend. And an injured one at that!_ But even with those thoughts he knows it’s different because this is _Kaoru_ , not just a mere friend.

Sleep, thankfully, tugs harder at him than the nervousness tumbling around in his stomach. He quickly tugs off his clothes and lays down next to Kaoru, taking care his stockier build doesn’t jostle the bed as much as possible. Even clad only in his underwear and lying on top of the quilt, Kojiro feels warm and cosy.

Moonlight, mixed with the amber hue of the streetlights, shines through the gauzy curtains his aunt had put up over his windows when he first moved in. Kojiro glances at Kaoru and feels his breath stutter and a blush start to paint his cheeks. He’s always thought that Kaoru was a beauty; a thought he’s most certainly kept to himself so as not to boost the calligrapher’s ego. But here and now, with the soft light enveloping him, his beauty is so dazzling it's almost maddening. Even whilst injured Kaoru is like one of the beautiful pieces of artwork he makes. All sleek lines and quiet beauty that captures your attention. His skin where the light hits it looks almost ethereal, whilst those parts hid in shadow look like lines of ink. Kojiro sighs heavily and turns from the sight, one arm lifting to cover his eyes.

“I’ll never lose you, right Kaoru? Even if I never get to have you how I’ve longed to have you, you’ll still be in my life. That’s all I need. I’ll always be here, and you’ll always be safe with me, Kaoru.”

Unbeknownst to Kojiro, Kaoru had woken when pain momentarily flared in his broken ankle and elbow. It takes everything in him to keep his breathing calm and even. Internally, however, he feels his heart thumping so hard in his chest he’s amazed Kojiro doesn’t hear it in the silent night. The green-haired man’s confession in the dark leads Kaoru deep into his own thoughts.

Kaoru thinks about the intensity of Adam and how he drew him in; captivating him and blinding him to the truth. Now the injured man can see that the glint in the blue-haired skater’s eyes is despair that creates a sensuous impulse in those he gazes upon. The beauty of his skating almost creates a compulsion to watch him in complete awe. Lying in the dark he feels full of misery and sorrow for the person Adam once was, but also for the man sleeping soundly next to him.

The outcome of this beef was never in any of Kaoru’s predictions. He never thought Adam would really hurt _him_ and most certainly not like this. But in the darkness Kaoru forces himself to at least be honest with himself. The broken bones, cuts and bruises don’t hurt near as much as the twisting pain in his heart from Adam’s words. _"_ _As always, your skating has no surprises. It’s overcalculated, so it can never cross the line. Let me teach you. The reason why I didn’t respond to your beef was simply because it was boring.”_

Unwelcome tears trickle down his face as he acknowledges, in the safety of Kojiro’s home, that all his feelings for Adam are scattered to the wind. If he’s truly honest, they’ve been gone a long time and he’s just been wrapping the ghost of those feelings around himself like an armour. Kaoru glances at the sleeping figure next to him and thinks he can never escape the pain his first love rendered on his heart, but that just maybe with Kojiro’s help he’ll be able to keep going until he sees the end. His life can finally begin. And even if he can’t admit it to the muscle idiot just yet, Kaoru can see a glimmer of a future for them.

Kaoru’s golden eyes suddenly narrow and with his good arm he reaches up for the pillow under Kojiro’s head and yanks with all his strength. Then, for good measure, he hits Kojiro’s startled and suddenly awake face with said pillow. Multiple times.

“Kaoru? You alright? Are you hurting?” Kojiro asks; worry tingeing his tone.

“You were snoring. Loudly! You overgrown gorilla. Also why’d you tuck me under the covers like a child? With your muscled ass next to me I’m going to die from heat stroke! What the hell are you grinning like that for, you big buffoon?!”

_Even like this you’re dazzling in the moonlight, Kaoru_ , thinks Kojiro before he wipes the smile from his face. “Quit the nagging, four eyes,” he mutters as he blindly grabs and strips the duvet from on top of Kaoru before kicking at it until it's probably half on the floor. “There better for you now, your highness?”

“Somewhat,” replies Kaoru haughtily. “You’re like a furnace.”

“That your way of calling me hot?” flirts Kojiro with a sensuous, sleepy grin.

“You wish.”

“Damn right I do,” murmurs Kojiro sleepily.

Kaoru immediately glances to the green-haired man, careful not to disturb his sore neck or slightly pounding head. His breath stills when he sees Kojiro hasn’t lost his enviable ability to fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Golden eyes gazing at the peaceful tan-skinned face start to drift shut. Kaoru, lulled by Kojiro’s soft breaths, drifts back to sleep with not even a moment to be shocked that something other than Carla playing a lullaby can help with his insomnia.

And if, when he wakes in the morning, he finds himself using Kojiro’s bare chest as a pillow and said man is holding him carefully; whose to tell on him when he stays there for just a little bit longer.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is my first time writing FanFic for an anime. I haven’t been able to write in a very long time (years) but Episode 9 of SK8 gave me inspiration, along with all the fanart I kept seeing on Twitter.
> 
> It's my head canon that Hiromi doesn’t know Kojiro and Kaoru’s real names and Kojiro doesn’t know Hiromi’s. Naturally Kaoru knows Hiromi’s along with his occupation. Hopefully that helps for why I switched from using their ‘S’ names to their real names at times.
> 
> When Kaoru said his injuries were just a scratch Monty Python and the Holy Grail immediately came to my mind; specifically this scene:
> 
> If you enjoyed please leave kudos and/or a comment! Thank you!!
> 
> Also feel free to follow me on Twitter (@AMMWriter21). Currently mostly posting about SK8/MatchaBlossom, but also other anime I'm watching and manga/manhua/manhwa I'm reading.  
> ~Annie  
> xx


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